Purpose This study aims to explore how innovation ecosystem characteristics (actor heterogeneity, relational embeddedness and organizational interdependence) impact technological innovation performance in megaprojects. It focuses on the roles of value co-creation and network innovation capability, aiming to uncover the mechanisms driving innovation in complex project environments. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach is employed, using survey data from megaproject stakeholders. Structural equation modeling analyzes the relationships between ecosystem characteristics, value co-creation, network innovation capability and innovation performance. Findings Value co-creation significantly enhances technological innovation performance, while network innovation capability partially mediates this relationship. Actor heterogeneity has no direct effect, but relational embeddedness and organizational interdependence indirectly influence performance through value co-creation and network innovation capability. Value co-creation emerges as the stronger driver of innovation outcomes. Originality/value This research integrates innovation ecosystem and network theories to reveal the critical role of value co-creation in megaproject innovation. It introduces network innovation capability as a mediator, emphasizing the importance of relational and organizational dynamics. The study offers practical insights for fostering collaboration and innovation in megaprojects, advancing both theoretical and practical understanding.

Dynamics of intestinal organization and microbiota during early development of Procypris mera

The decline of proteostasis is a central hallmark of aging, the earliest manifestations of which have remained difficult to capture in human tissues with conventional model systems. The skin is a continuously renewing and environmentally exposed organ offering a uniquely accessible window into aging biology. Skin organoid technologies allow for long-term culturing of human epidermal and full-thickness skin-like tissues that accurately recapitulate important aspects of cellular heterogeneity, spatial organization, and stem cell dynamics. In this perspective, we discuss how skin organoids are beginning to reveal early proteostasis alterations-encompassing impaired protein folding, reduced proteasomal activity, and autophagy dysfunction-that precede overt structural and functional hallmarks of skin aging, with particular emphasis on underexplored regulators- sebaceous gland and sebocyte-specific proteostasis, autophagy, and inflammaging. We also highlight emerging insights, conceptual challenges, and experimental limitations, and outline future directions for integrating skin organoids with skin-on-a-chip, single-cell proteomics, and stress-reporting approaches to advance proteostasis-targeted interventions in skin aging.

ABSTRACT Collaboration is widely promoted as a driver of educational change, yet policy discourse often obscures the sociocultural, organizational, and political dynamics shaping its enactment. This study examines how collaboration is constructed in Hong Kong’s K–12 system through critical policy analysis and narrative interviews with principals. Using a poststructural lens, it reveals tensions between policy ideals and leaders’ lived realities, showing how principals navigate hierarchical traditions, accountability demands, and community expectations. Findings illustrate how formal mechanisms intersect with relational processes, conceptualizing collaboration as both a policy tool and a culturally situated practice. The study informs more reflexive leadership and policy design.

This study examines the participative leadership of school principals in building organizational work culture at a vocational high school in a peripheral region. The research provides empirical contributions by revealing concrete forms of participative leadership implementation in school contexts and its impact on organizational work culture dynamics. A qualitative descriptive approach with case study design was employed, involving in-depth interviews with the school principal, teachers, and educational staff at SMKN 1 Agribisnis dan Agroteknologi Serui, Yapen Islands Regency, Papua. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observations, and documentary studies. Data validity was established through source and method triangulation as well as peer discussion. The interactive model of data analysis was applied, comprising data reduction, data display, and verification. The findings indicate that the school principal's participative leadership was manifested through school member involvement in program planning, decision-making, and school activity evaluation. This leadership implementation contributed to increased work motivation, sense of ownership toward the school, and the creation of a collaborative work climate. However, differences in readiness levels and participation among school members posed challenges to implementation. These findings affirm that the effectiveness of school principals' participative leadership requires strengthened communication and continuous development to be optimally implemented. The study extends participative leadership theory by demonstrating its viability in resource-constrained vocational education settings.

This study investigates the sociopolitical processes underlying the development and approval of marketing budgets in large multinational corporations. While prior research has focused extensively on optimizing the level and allocation of marketing budgets, little attention has been paid to the internal organizational dynamics that shape the marketing budgeting process. Drawing on the theories-in-use of both CMOs and CEOs, this study examines how these executives co-develop a calibrated marketing budget (CMKB) - a budget that aligns expected performance with allocated resources through an iterative, participative process. Field data show that CMOs deploy a set of signals to assuage CEO concerns related to goal conflict and information asymmetry. These signals reflect both the quality (e.g., granularity, opportunity elaboration, threat mitigation) and intentions (e.g., cultivated endorsements, relinquishment) of the CMO’s budget. In addition, the study delineates between two types of CMKBs, a Growth Focused CMKB and a Constrained CMKB, and demonstrates that the effectiveness of the quality and intent signals used by CMOs varies across them. Taken together, this study seeks to provide a theoretical foundation for advancing research on the marketing budgeting processes in organizations.

Chromatin organization during postnatal development is very important for establishing neuronal function and may be disrupted in neurodevelopmental disorders that are associated with impaired brain function. Both the Methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) and the linker histone H1 are important chromatin regulators. Still, their developmental expression patterns and functional interactions across diverse genetic backgrounds are not well understood. This study examined changes in histone H1, histone H3, and MeCP2 levels in CD1 and C57BL/6 mice in two different strains, in the liver, cerebellum, and cerebral hemispheres obtained at two adolescent developmental stages [P21 (postnatal day 21) and P56]. We show that both strains have significant cerebral-specific increases in MeCP2 and H1, while H3 levels remain consistent. The CD1 strain exhibited hepatic H1 elevation between early (P21) and late (P56) adolescence, which was absent in the C57BL/6 strain. This highlights possible strain-dependent postnatal dynamic chromatin organization. Analysis of Mecp2T158M (Mecp2tm4.1Bird) mutant mice showed compensatory H1 elevation in the Purkinje layer of the cerebellum, indicating possible functional relation between these two chromatin-bound proteins. Despite having minimal MeCP2 protein levels, mutant mice had higher amounts of Mecp2 transcripts, suggesting post-transcriptional/post-translational regulations. Our results demonstrate that H1 and MeCP2 are subject to coordinated developmental control with possible interplay with the chromatin structure.

Resting state fMRI signals in mammals exhibit rich dynamics on a fast, frame-by-frame timescale of seconds, including the robust emergence of recurring fMRI co-activation patterns (CAPs). To understand how such dynamics emerges from the underlying anatomical cortico-cortical connectivity, we developed a whole-cortex model of resting-state fMRI signals in the mouse. Our model implemented neural input-output nonlinearities and excitatory-inhibitory interactions within cortical regions, as well as directed anatomical connectivity between regions inferred from the Allen mouse brain atlas. We found that, even if the model parameters were fitted to explain static properties of fMRI signals on the timescale of minutes, the model generated rich frame-by-frame attractor dynamics, with multiple stationary and oscillatory attractors. Guided by these theoretical predictions, we found that empirical mouse fMRI time series exhibited analogous signatures of attractor dynamics, and that model attractors recapitulated the topographical organization of empirical fMRI CAPs. The model established key relationships between attractor dynamics, CAPs and features of the directed cortico-cortical intra- and inter-hemispheric anatomical connectivity. Specifically, we found that neglecting fiber directionality severely affected the number of model's attractors and their ability to explain CAPs. Furthermore, modifying inter-hemispheric anatomical connectivity strength by decreasing or increasing it from the value of real mouse anatomical data, resulted in fewer attractors generated by cortico-cortical interactions and reduced non-homotopic features of the attractors generated by the model, which were important for better predicting empirical CAPs. These results offer novel theoretical insight into the dynamic organization of resting state fMRI in the mouse brain and suggest that the frame-wise BOLD activity captured by CAPs reflects an emerging property of cortical dynamics resulting from directed cortico-cortical interactions.

Free palatal gingival grafts (FGG) are commonly harvested during mucogingival procedures. The present study investigates age-related local and systemic early secondary wound healing outcomes, following FGG harvest in a rat model. A 4.2 mm diameter defect was created in the palate of 24 younger (2m) and 24 older (6m) Wistar male rats. They were divided according to experimental days 1-4. Values of complete blood count, chemistry analysis, and inflammatory biomarkers were assessed. Specimens were examined histologically. Wound healing was similar between groups, with a significant de-epithelized surface reduction from day 1 to day 2 (p=0.0007) and day 2 to day 3 (p=0.002), without a significant difference between day 3 and day 4 (p=0.4). Histological inflammation scores were consistently higher in younger individuals, suggesting a more pronounced local inflammatory response. Picrosirius red staining revealed more dynamic collagen fiber organization in the younger rats, with significant differences at days 2 (p=0.01), 3 (p=0.03), and 4 (p=0.03). Age-related differences were noted regarding levels of WBC (white blood cells), RBC (red blood cells), HGB (hemoglobin), HCT (hematocrit), MCV (mean corpuscular volume), MCH (mean corpuscular hemoglobin), platelet counts, creatinine, SGPT (serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase), SGOT (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase), and AlkPhos. Younger rats displayed higher MCV, MCH, platelet counts, and a delayed rise in SGPT, creatinine, and AlkPhos over time, whereas older rats presented constantly higher WBC, RBC, HGB, HCT, and creatinine levels. Serum TNF-α levels were initially higher in the older rats but declined rapidly. In contrast, IL-6 peaked earlier and was higher in the older rats. IL-18 peaked earlier in the older (day 2) compared with the younger rats (day 3). Local and systemic early events following surgery of the palatal mucosa revealed age-related differences. The older rats demonstrated in general a decreased local response vs. an increased systemic response. Free palatal gingival grafts are commonly harvested during mucogingival procedures around teeth and implants. The present study investigated age-related local and systemic early phase outcomes following palatal free gingival harvest with a 4.2 mm diameter punch in a rat model. Younger and older Wistar male rats were included and divided into four experimental groups according to experimental days 1-4. Systemic outcome parameters included complete blood count, chemistry analysis, and immunological parameters. Biopsies were examined for local histological-inflammatory outcome and collagen immunohistochemistry. Wound healing was similar between the older and younger groups. Local inflammation scores were consistently higher in younger rats. Collagen staining revealed more dynamic activity in the younger rats. The older group exhibited higher and more stable serologic levels of WBC, RBC, HGB, HCT, and creatinine. The younger group displayed higher serologic MCV, MCH, platelet counts, and a delayed rise in SGPT, creatinine, and AlkPhos over time. Serum TNF-α levels were initially higher in the older group but declined rapidly, IL-6 peaked higher in the older group and IL-18 peaked earlier in the older group. It can be concluded that local and systemic wound healing early events following surgery of the palatal mucosa reveal age-related differences. The older group demonstrated in general a decreased local response versus an increased systemic response.

ABSTRACT Despite the growing adoption of Business Process Management (BPM) in public administration, little is known about which factors drive BPM project success in countries like Brazil, where bureaucratic processes, heterogeneous legacy systems, and political instability create unique implementation challenges. Existing studies identify generic BPM and Information Technology (IT) success factors, yet no research has systematically examined success factors within public‐sector BPM projects, leaving a critical contextual gap. This study addresses it through an action research project conducted at a large Brazilian national public institution. Across a ten‐month Government‐to‐Government initiative, 22 semi‐structured interviews were conducted and analyzed at each project cycle, allowing success factors to be identified, followed, updated, and validated by both the project team and the client. Results confirm several factors known in the literature while revealing new factors, including analysis of information systems and legacy mappings, project manager authority and influence, client systemic understanding, and an open‐minded environment for change. A comparative analysis shows divergence in how stakeholders value these factors: the implementation team identifies more technical and managerial elements, while the client emphasizes prioritization and internal constraints. The study advances theory by contextualizing BPM success factors for the public sector. It offers practical guidance to strengthen governance, stakeholder engagement, and continuity of BPM initiatives in politically dynamic public organizations.

Professional title promotion is a critical pathway for clinical nurses' career development in China, yet nursing managers observe substantial heterogeneity in nurses' self-management behaviors during the promotion process. Clarifying how managers perceive these differences is important for designing targeted strategies to support clinical nurses' professional title promotion. A purposive sampling method was employed to select 15 frontline clinical nursing managers for semi-structured interviews regarding their observations and perceptions of staff nurses' self-management in professional title promotion. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step method for qualitative analysis. Based on Benner's theoretical framework and interview content, key self-management characteristics of clinical nurses in professional title promotion were extracted, and a profile model was constructed. Visualization was achieved through word clouds and tables. Five core characteristics were identified in nursing managers' descriptions of clinical nurses' self-management: personal traits, career awareness, educational background, professional experience, and sociocultural influences. Four perceived self-management profiles of clinical nurses were categorized: aggressive, potential-mining, stable-conservative, and laissez-faire. Based on interviews with 15 nursing managers from three tertiary hospitals in Jiangsu Province, we identified four perceived self-management profiles of clinical nurses in professional title promotion across five key dimensions. These findings, which reflect nursing managers' observations rather than clinical nurses' self-reported experiences, suggest that tailoring managerial support and development interventions to these perceived profiles may help support clinical nurses' career advancement in similar hospital contexts; however, further research is needed to examine the transferability of these profiles to other regions and to nurses' own accounts. Given the hierarchical nature of hospital nursing, these manager-derived personas may also reflect organizational expectations and power dynamics; future studies should triangulate managers' views with nurses' own accounts and other data sources. Not applicable.

Although ethical leadership has been referred to as the basis of ethical judgements, the newer research identifies a perplexing conflict: It can be both an ethical agent and something that creates an ethical dilemma. The present study investigates these contradictions in an interdisciplinary context by leveraging data in philosophical anthropology, organizational behaviour and cognitive psychology. We highlight some of the limits of existing ethical leadership frameworks and use the PRISMA framework and a tailored TCCM model to connect 46 peer-reviewed Scopus and ABDC articles published from 2000 to 2024. The models are inaccurate when contextual boundaries, ethical nuance and implications of new technology are considered. We offer the adaptive ethical leadership paradox (AELP) model in exchange, which remaps ethical leadership as a dynamic negotiation among four interdependent factors: (a) the ethical dissonance cycle, (b) the situational ethics modulator, (c) the cognitive reflexivity loop and (d) the AI and digital ethics layer. The model is superior to conventional descriptive literature reviews because it provides a novel theoretical account of ethical leadership. It addresses static ethical models and introduces a new, interdisciplinary model for leadership ethics. Drawing on philosophical, psychological and technology ethics, the AELP model provides guidance for understanding leadership ethics, the governance of AI and organizational dynamics—all areas where consolidating knowledge from different disciplines could prove valuable.

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Vividha Raunekar is first author on ‘ Glucose deprivation induces AMPK-dependent ɑ-actinin-4 expression to sustain energy efficient non-proteolytic migration’, published in JCS. Vividha conducted the research described in this article while a PhD student in Shamik Sen's lab at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. She is now an Assistant Professor at the Interdisciplinary School of Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune, Maharashtra, India, investigating how metabolic and signaling cues regulate cell surface organization and cytoskeletal dynamics – particularly glycocalyx remodeling and energy-efficient modes of cell migration in cancer cells.

This study explores how leadership style and village institutional support contribute to the performance of Village-Owned Enterprises (BUM Desa), with innovation capability acting as a mediating mechanism in West Java. The research is grounded in the observed decline in BUM Desa performance rankings during the 2023–2024 period, which signals persistent limitations in sustaining and improving long-term BUM Desa performance. Existing empirical studies indicate that the performance of BUM Desa is closely linked to internal organizational dynamics, particularly leadership effectiveness, institutional arrangements at the village level, and the capacity to foster innovation. To empirically investigate these relationships, this study employs a quantitative approach with a causal explanatory design. Survey data were collected from 540 employees of legally established BUM Desa in West Java, with the sample size determined using the Slovin formula. The data were obtained through a structured questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 3. The findings reveal that leadership style and village institutional support have a positive and statistically significant effect on BUM Desa performance. In addition, innovation capability directly enhances BUM Desa performance and partially mediates the effects of leadership style and institutional support on performance outcomes. These results underscore the strategic role of innovation capability as a key pathway through which leadership and institutional support translate into improved BUM Desa performance. Consequently, efforts to strengthen BUM Desa performance in West Java should prioritize the development of effective leadership practices and consistent institutional support to reinforce innovation capability and promote sustainable BUM Desa performance.

ABSTRACT This study examines how reluctant female employees discuss and respond to the inessential esthetic demands that they receive from their bosses through an anonymous online forum as well as in real‐life work settings. Substudy 1 analyzes the corpus “r/antiwork” to identify the hidden transcripts of employees after inessential esthetic demands. It identifies four discursive practices involved in Reddit threads—“Construction of the ‘Other’,” “Reinstatement of normative views through individualistic rhetoric,” “Rhetoric of choice feminism,” and “Rhetoric of feminist consciousness.” The discourses also include potential responses to the esthetic demands—resistance, compliance or acquiescence, satirical compliance, and malicious compliance. Substudy 2 involves the analysis of a small‐scale survey. The survey confirms the findings of Substudy 1 and also identifies significant relationships between how employees feel when they encounter esthetic demands and how they respond to them. The reasons behind employees' reluctance to report such demands to HR are also detected. This study contributes to the esthetic labor literature by introducing the concept of “inessential esthetic demands,” thereby broadening the field beyond customer‐facing roles, while also advancing understandings of workplace resistance, feminist organizational studies, and gender dynamics in organizations.

Purpose This paper aims to examine how a Brazilian educational institution has transformed its diversity management practices regarding people with disabilities over time, highlighting the organisational, cultural and structural dynamics that shape inclusion processes. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a longitudinal qualitative case study design, comparing two research phases conducted in 2019 and 2024 within the same institution. Data collected through semi-structured questionnaires administered to employees with disabilities and human resources professionals. The material was analysed using Bardin’s (2011). Findings The results indicate a shift from a predominantly compliance-oriented approach to a more culturally embedded model of inclusion. Key advances include the institutionalisation of inclusive policies, increased leadership engagement and the integration of diversity goals into organisational planning. Research limitations/implications This study contributes theoretically by articulating the social model of disability with organisational culture, diversity management and intersectionality frameworks. The single-case design limits generalisation but allows in-depth contextual analysis. Practical implications Practical implications include the importance of leadership accountability, cross-functional integration of diversity practices and the use of multidimensional indicators (beyond hiring rates) to monitor inclusion. Social implications This study provides evidence-based guidance for managers and policymakers seeking to embed inclusion of people with disabilities into organisational culture effecting intersectional social exchange. Originality/value By linking inclusive management to cultural and structural organisational change, this study extends current debates on diversity management and disability inclusion. It demonstrates how institutions can move beyond symbolic compliance towards meaningful and sustainable inclusion.

Rapid technological change, increased rivalry, and changing job patterns have made work-related stress a major challenge for modern firms. Employee performance, well-being, and long-term organizational success are all negatively impacted by ongoing exposure to high job demands, little control, and insufficient organizational support. According to human resources (HR), work-related stress is ingrained in organizational processes, HR regulations, leadership styles, and job designs, and it transcends individual experiences. By combining well-established stress theories with organizational dynamics driven by human resources, this research conceptualizes work-related stress. The main causes of stress that have been found include an unfavorable organizational climate, job instability, work-life imbalance, excessive workload and time pressure, and a lack of managerial assistance. Work-related stress serves as a mediation mechanism connecting HR practices to important employee and organizational outcomes like job satisfaction, psychological well-being, performance, absenteeism, and turnover intentions, according to the study's HR-centered conceptual framework. The study also looks at the effects of work-related stress on HR managers, especially in Indian firms, and highlights the necessity of employee-centered, strategic, and preventive HR interventions. This study adds to the theoretical understanding of work-related stress by placing HR practices at the center of stress generation and management. It also provides a basis for future empirical research aimed at creating organizational systems that are robust and sustainable. Keywords: Organization, HR Practices, Employee, Working Conditions, Work Stress.

Purpose This study examines workplace spirituality through attachment theory, investigating how Vietnam’s collectivist and religious traditions shape service employees’ spiritual experiences in Vietnamese workplaces. Design/methodology/approach Using qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews with Vietnamese service employees, the study provides an in-depth understanding of their experiences. A snowball sampling approach was used to recruit 30 participants from various service sector companies. Findings The findings indicate that spiritual perceptions were consistent across different attachment styles, challenging assumptions that attachment styles significantly shape spiritual experiences and suggesting spirituality’s role as a unifying force in culturally distinct contexts. Originality/value This research contributes to the theoretical framework of workplace spirituality, offering insights for human resources management practices and future studies. It underscores the need to integrate cultural factors into models of workplace spirituality, particularly in non-Western settings, to better understand their impact on organizational dynamics.

ABSTRACT Democratic backsliding raises new challenges for bureaucracies as politicians undermine democratic institutions and the rule of law. Although bureaucracies can play a central safeguarding role, little is known about the organizational conditions that foster resistance to undemocratic pressure. This study tests whether organizational networks (peers and professional associations) and resources (expertise and voice mechanisms) influence bureaucrats' willingness to oppose undemocratic demands from political superiors. Drawing on a preregistered conjoint survey experiment with Brazilian bureaucrats ( N = 2481; 14,886 evaluations), we find that support from peers, professional associations, and credible voice channels increases open resistance, whereas peer disagreement reduces silent resistance. This study is among the first large‐scale survey experiments to manipulate organizational attributes in democratic backsliding. We advance scholarship by developing a meso‐level organizational framework that connects networks and resources to micro‐level resistance, bridging research on democratic backsliding and behavioral public administration, and providing practical guidance for strengthening democratic guardianship in organizations.

Administrative strategies are essential for ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in public institutions, particularly in the context of low- and middle-income countries where governance challenges and resource constraints persist. This study analyzes the relationship between organizational commitment and administrative management in a local public financial institution in Peru. Drawing on Meyer and Allen’s three-component model of commitment (affective, continuance, and normative) and classical administrative theory (planning, organizing, directing, and controlling), the research explores how psychosocial drivers influence perceptions of administrative practices. A cross-sectional, quantitative, non-experimental design was applied, surveying 31 employees using validated Likert-scale questionnaires. Fieldwork was conducted from January to June 2024. Non-parametric correlation analysis revealed a strong and statistically significant positive association between organizational commitment and administrative management (Spearman’s rho = 0.661, p < 0.01). Normative commitment was the most influential dimension, underscoring the role of loyalty and ethical obligation in sustaining perceived administrative management. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening human capital and organizational commitment as part of administrative strategies for institutional development. The study contributes to debates on governance and public sector reform by emphasizing how organizational dynamics in local institutions can shape broader trajectories of economic growth and development in emerging contexts.